Breathe
by Mysteriol
Summary: CloudxAerith, and a moment, together. Random, plotless. Warning: mush, sap, whatever, and a little bit of Cloud arguing with his head.


Breathe 

_cloudxaerith. _

_random, plotless. _

_Warning: not to be taken as a moment to be fitted into the game nor in any certain context. _

_CloudxAerith, and a moment, together. Random, plotless. Warning: mush, sap, whatever, and a little bit of Cloud arguing with his head. _

_mysterio-san_

----

He came to sit by her side quietly. Cloud took careful pains not to disturb his girlfriend. He knew how engrossed she could be when she was deeply engrossed with a book. Now, she did not look like she was ready to part from her other world that soon.

So he simply looked to the sea before them, and did not speak.

About twenty minutes passed, as he let his mind zone out.

"Well...aren't you going to start speaking?"

He blinked. He looked down. Her eyes were not focused on his. They were still reading the lines splayed on the mouse-nibbled pages of her book.

"Do you want me to?" Cloud scratched his head. He was confused. Well, girlfriends were always confusing. Jeez, he thought, sighing inwardly. Or maybe _he _was the one that was making himself confused.

Now, even without her face turned to him, he could read the slight tug upon the edges of her lips.

"If you want to, Cloud."

He decided not to tell her how much he liked it when his name rolled from her lips like that.

"Okay..." His voice trailed away. He shifted awkwardly. He debated with his inner conscious self for a few painful, passing minutes. Should he initiate conversation? Did he want to?

He turned to her, when she broke out into small fits of laughter. They reminded him of silver bells.

"What? What is it?" He asked. He couldn't understand. Yes, he thought, girlfriends _are _confusing.

"You're so sweet, Cloud." _Now, _she really looked at him.

Cloud struggled with his mind and body. His brain was mallfunctioning when her emerald eyes looked into his like this. His body was turning into jelly. His heart told both of them to stop such moronic antics.

Well, at least, he tried.

In the end, unable to suppress those feelings she stirred raw within him, he adverted his gaze.

Aerith did not help matters when she rested her palm atop of his.

His heart missed a beat. He opened an eye, and dared himself to peek at her.

She had gone on to read her book, supporting it with her free hand, while the other laid itself on his. He snuck a glance at their hands. Hers, clasping his. He blamed himself for not having to guts to respond. Just hold her hand, you dimwit! His mind screamed.

Easier than done, his other inner conscious self retorted.

His body was failing him again. Playing traitor. It frustrated him. Why were his knees threatening to degrade themselves into the state of jellyglob? Why were butterflies swarming around his stomach like...like bees? He shook his head.

That didn't make sense. Butterflies could not turn into bees.

Get a grip, Strife. He berated himself.

Still, he couldn't tear his gaze off their hands.

Hers atop his.

His fingers still unmoving, afraid to do so. As if any initiated movement of his would shatter this picturesque moment.

"Cloud?"

Aerith had stopped reading.

Her eyes implored his.

"Huh?"

She laughed at his innocence.

His face fell, when she took her hand away, and rested it by her side, onto the sands.

He cursed his courage, or lack thereof. He cursed time for not freezing. Perhaps he should have casted Slow on that moment. But that would be cheating, Cloud thought.

Man, he was a wreck whenever it was Aerith concerned.

"Earth to Cloud Strife!" Aerith waved a hand before his eyes.

He blinked. He hadn't thought he was zoning out. He felt slightly guilty, but his eyes alit with rare humor. "Reporting to Captain Gainsborough."

She giggled. Like silver bells, he thought dazedly.

"Cloud...you're always zoning out so often around me." She pouted, sticking out her lips in feigned annoyance.

"I..." How could he tell her it was precisely because of her? "Sorry..." He was about to scratch his head, again, when her hand came up to stop him.

"And you're always scratching your head!" She giggled again. Her eyes were sparkling, reminding him of diamonds...or gems...or emeralds...or some precious treasures. Whatever, they all meant the same thing. They were beautiful.

"Sorry..."

"Stop saying sorry." She made a face, puffing it up into such a manner that he found it hard to resist. The corner of his lips lifted.

"Okay, Aerith."

Silence hung around them, but not awkwardly nor shyly, as their gazes held each other for a while.

Finally, when he thought he could no longer hold his breath anymore, he looked away.

It was then when he felt his breath being snatched from his lips. Stupid mind and body, he cursed inwardly.

She had rested her palm atop his, again.

"Cloud?" Her voice was quiet.

"What is it, Aerith?" Their eyes met. Time promptly ceased to nothing.

"Nothing." She confessed, giggling softly under her breath.

He didn't know what it was that made him smile, that made him offer her back those of his smiles that he rarely showed to any others. Perhaps it was her smile, perhaps it was her entrancing eyes. Perhaps it was the way her hair shone under the twilight sky. Or the sound of her laughter. Or something else.

But all he knew was that, this time around, he wasn't going to take her gesture for granted again.

Breathe, Cloud reminded himself.

He did, and when he had done so, he finally dared to intertwine his fingers around hers.

And he remembered nothing else, except for that single smile on her face, embedded into his memory, forever.

**owari**


End file.
